Midnight Rendezvous
by scubarang
Summary: The Gryffindor Princess goes to the Forbidden Forest every night for an hour. The Slytherin Prince is determined to find out why. What will his discovery bring for him? D/G


A/N: This was written for The DG Forum Fic Exchange in March 2009. Go to rowangreenleaf's DG Forum! to meet some of the authors and talk about the ultimate pairing, Draco and Ginny.

I disclaim.

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MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS

Draco pulled his cloak tighter around his chest and muttered another warming charm. He hated this. He hated waiting, he hated being cold, he hated staying up late when he was exhausted to the bone; but most of all he hated not knowing what the little redheaded chit was up to.

He thought back to when he first caught a glimpse of her sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest. He had to wonder why in the name of all that was magical someone would willingly go into those cursed trees late at night. But she did that night and every night thereafter.

He'd been watching her now for almost five weeks and he still had no clue what she did in there every night. The petite Gryffindor would disappear into the trees at exactly 11:30 and reappear at exactly 12:30 every night; no tardiness, no skiving off for bad weather, never straying from her schedule. She was so meticulous in her execution he had to admire her preciseness. He wondered if she was a perfectionist in all her endeavors. That seemed a very Ravenclaw type of quality and Draco had to wonder where she showed her Slytherin attributes. He couldn't be bothered to wonder if she had any Hufflepuff in her.

Why he himself had demonstrated loyalty to his mother's good name by challenging that _other_ Weasley, the brutish oaf, to a duel after he had insulted his mother he couldn't quite figure out. The freckled git had a third arm for a few days, but Draco had been relatively easy on him. He thought at the time it had been very Hufflepuff of him to not only defend his mum but also show mercy to the poor. Very benevolent of him, he was sure some sort of medal was due to him.

But of course those always went to the damn goodie-goodies in that blasted House of nobility. How noble was it to always be blundering about and getting yourself into trouble for no good reason? Did anyone ever ask the Golden Trio to please butt in where they don't belong and impose themselves upon the situation? Did anyone ever say to them, "Please, run through my shop full of fragile china like a rampaging bull"? Doubtful. But they were always the heroes after all was said and done. Draco hated that too.

He found himself hating a lot of things this year and he wasn't sure why. He'd had a run-in with the little bird he was watching right now on the train the first day back, and that event seemed to have set the tone for the year so far.

He'd been arguing with her brother in the corridor and she asked them to step aside so she could get to the snack cart. She just asked them to move aside; no, "You're evil Malfoy", or "Shut it Ron, you're a complete idiot." Well, okay, she wouldn't have said that anyway, but still, she totally ignored his presence; the nerve.

So Draco had waited and when she came back he pushed her into an empty compartment and pressed her down onto the seat. She glared up at him and started to get up but he gently pushed her back down again. Tiring of the game she finally asked him, "What exactly do you want Malfoy? What's wrong, finally figured out Pansy's a slag and you're not even first in that queue? Need to show what a man you are by pushing around a girl who is smaller than you?"

That was what he wanted. He needed to see that spark of anger in her eyes, needed to know that he had gotten under her skin. Her words meant nothing to him, everyone knew Pansy was a tart; at least he had been the first to have a go at her. Once was all it took to realize that Pansy was not the girl for him, no matter how likely it seemed that she was to be his betrothed if he couldn't find someone else to wed before his mum forced him to marry her.

"I don't have to prove what a man I am to anyone. Any thinking person with two working eyes in their head could see that I am the finest specimen of the male species available here at Hogwarts. Hell, I'm the cream of the crop for all of wizarding England."

Ginny rolled her eyes dramatically at him but inside her brain was screaming at her "He's not wrong!"

Shutting that errant thought down quickly Ginny looked him in the eye and spat out to him, "In your dreams, Malfoy. Now. Let. Me. Go." Standing up from the chair and pushing him forcefully with her dainty hands his body stayed firm against hers.

Draco chuckled at her useless display of rebellion. Looking down at the feisty sprite caught in his web he glowered menacingly over her. She was not intimidated by him, nor was she giving him what he really wanted. But then he hadn't made it clear yet what it was that he truly wanted from the little Gryffindor hellcat.

"Let's you and I make a deal, Little Weasel-girl." Ginny scowled mightily at him over this nickname. "You give me what I want and I give you what you need."

Ginny looked Draco straight in his stormy ice-grey eyes; they were like darkly frozen glacier pools that she wanted to hack away at with a pick to see what lay below the surface.

"And what could you have that I would possibly need so badly that I would make a deal with the devil?"

Draco smirked at her but she thought she saw a brief glimmer of light in his frozen gaze.

"You tell me what you need and I will ensure that you acquire it by any means." Draco heard the wayward thought run through his mind that he wanted her to choose him. That thought was AK'd before it hit the ground running. There was no way he would accept that there was any sort of attraction towards the practically destitute younger girl.

"Alright, lets assume that there is something that I _need_ from you; what is it that you _want_ from me?"

"I want you to admit that I am your superior in all ways. I want you to tell the student body that Malfoy blood is the finest and purest bloodline that there is. I want you to concede your unwarranted pride and bow down to me."

Draco gave the tempestuous girl his finest smirk, assured that his offer could not be refused due to her obvious desperation for money or material goods of some kind. Surely she could see the validity of his request as well as the opportunity for acquisition of goods.

Suddenly Draco's confidence took a staggering step in retreat. She was smiling at him. And it wasn't pretty. She had the feral grin of a predator that knows its prey is truly trapped and helpless. She slowly ran her little pink tongue across her bottom lip and nicked it with her sharp little incisor. He thought he saw the tinge of blood there but it was withdrawn back into its moist little home before he could fully see.

"So let me get this clear, Malfoy." Ginny's tone was crisp and commanding. "You want me to tell the students of Hogwarts that you and your family are better than mine due to blood purity and some such rubbish, and in return I can ask you for anything and you will give it to me?"

She began to laugh in a slow and deep manner that disturbed the blond snob. "You need to bribe me in order to convince people that your name may still be worth something to the wizarding world after what your bastard of a father has done." He watched as she started shaking with her mirth. "You want me to assure the people that your money can buy a reputation that was not earned. You want me to make them believe that you and your useless family are worthy of respect because you have money to throw. Am I correct? Is this really what you're asking?"

Draco became livid. His face was instantly flushed with anger and he practically spat at the insolent brat in front of him.

"How dare you! My family has held a place of honour for centuries. Your family is just as old but what honour do you have? You fanny about with Muggles and think yourself superior because you stand proud while living in a filthy little barn with the rest of your brood. What makes you so proud? What do you have to show for all of your family's indiscretions? The Weasley family tree is as pure as the Malfoy line, yet what do you do with that power?"

Draco's glare towards Ginny was as cold as a glacier, yet she stood just inches from him and stared back into his frigid countenance with no hesitation.

Draco took the last step between them and closed the distance off. He bent his head towards her face and hissed into her ear. "Don't condemn me for using my wealth as a tool when you use your love of Muggles as a tool as well. Don't tell me you don't manipulate society with your 'We're poor but we love Muggles' tripe. You're the same as me."

Ginny shivered at his proximity. She realised that the Slytherin was standing way too close for comfort. She also realised that she didn't mind. She could feel the heat radiating off him in contrast to the coldness of his demeanor. He was all ice in his mannerisms and pure fire in his presence. She felt her breath hitch in realisation that she wanted nothing more than to grab him by his head and snog him senseless. She retreated a step knowing that she had just entered into dangerous territory and threw her long red hair back over her shoulder in defiance.

"I will never be like you. I will not sell out my love of all creatures no matter what their bloodline. You don't have enough gold to make me change who and what I am, Malfoy. You cannot buy me so don't even try. I may be poor, but I understand the true meaning of wealth, and it has nothing to do with the size of my vault at Gringotts."

Ginny lifted her slightly pointed little chin up in the air and looked him in the eye. "No deal, Malfoy." The redhead immediately turned on her heel and walked quickly out of the compartment not looking back or acknowledging his words or presence at all.

He was flabbergasted and now thoroughly annoyed at her. She had not only rejected his offer, she had insulted his family, belittled his wealth and totally ensnared his attention. She had bewildered him with her feistiness and ended her tirade with a look in her eyes that could only be taken as, well, as veiled desire. Inconceivable.

"It's war then, little lion; we'll see who the better man is." Draco turned and, scowling at his inner thoughts of frustration and denial, had left the compartment planning on what his next move would be.

That was the event that started this current obsession. He wanted to know everything about the girl, and this nighttime activity was a mystery. There was nothing for it, tomorrow night he would follow her into the forest and get a first hand look at what the temptress was up to.

X

Ginny woke the next morning with a feeling of impending trouble. She knew she would have to be cautious today. Something was on the horizon but she couldn't tell what it was. She lay in bed for a few more minutes contemplating on how quickly her life was changing this year.

They were only two months into the year but she felt as if she had already learned more than she had in her previous five years. This Muggle magic had something to it, though they had most of it wrong. She knew that witches and wizards made sure that Muggles couldn't get too close to the truth, but small remnants of natural magic were in some Muggles. They weren't Squibs; they just had an affinity for the natural laws of magic and could tap into the inherent power of things to a small degree.

She had been researching their Wicca and some New Age theories and practices over summer break and found that her magical abilities were benefitting from this. She was closer to the magic inside her and more aware of how to wield it in a controlled and precise manner. Her Transfiguration and Charms scores were increasing exponentially and McGonagall had approached her about trying for animagus training.

This was all going according to the plan she had made the first day of the term on the train. Malfoy had woken something up in her and she wanted to show him. She wanted to prove to him that she was worthy of everyone's respect regardless of wealth or social status. She wanted to show him that she was desirable and strong. She hoped that by Christmas break she could find a way to force him to accept her for who and what she was.

Ginny fought down that little voice in the back of her mind that taunted her about wanting him to notice her in all ways. There was no way that she could be attracted to that vain and selfish prat. No way in hell.

With that thought she got up out of bed and headed for the showers and a leisurely breakfast on a lazy Saturday morning. Afterwards she had planned to search for some of the plants she needed for her midnight rendezvous in the forest.

As she grabbed the handle of her door, Ginny reminded herself to be cautious in her actions today; her inner spirit was warning her of trouble.

**X**

Draco was surreptitiously glancing about the Great Hall looking for his mysterious redheaded vixen. It was Saturday so it was no surprise that the Great Hall wasn't very full at the normal breakfast time, but she wasn't usually a lazy person. He grumbled a little as Blaise haphazardly plopped himself next to him with great aplomb.

"How goes it, O Great Snake Prince?"

In reply Draco simply quirked an eyebrow at the dark Slytherin Head Boy and took an obvious drink of pumpkin juice. Blaise laughingly gave him a thump on his back and stole a piece of toast off his plate.

"Another late night, huh? Who was she this time? That blond Ravenclaw you've been watching?"

Again, Draco gave no reply and simply looked at his best friend with a blank stare.

"Oh, don't worry; I won't trouble you because she's a year younger. But she is a bit odd for your usual tastes, don't you think mate? I mean the vegetable earring thing is a little too quirky for you."

"Shut it Blaise. Don't worry yourself; I'm not after your insane fantasy girl. Merlin knows what you see in her, but I wish you'd just get over it and ask her out. You've been going on about her for two months and I'm guessing you're moaning her name in your sleep. Just ask the girl. I'm sure she's desperate and mad enough to take you up on it."

As if hearing their conversation, Luna looked over at the Slytherin table in her dreamy fashion and looked directly at Blaise. She seemed to be contemplating the wonders of the universe as she watched him eat Draco's bacon off his plate.

Draco shook his head at the peculiar girl and the love sick Hufflepuff that was apparently now inhabiting his best mate's body these days. He sighed deeply and shoved Blaise out of his food.

"Go. Ask. Her. Now."

For once Blaise seemed to listen to his words; he quietly got up from the table and headed for the Ravenclaw blond. Draco knew he was serious about this girl because he had never once flirted with her and had not really been chasing any other skirts this year. Blaise's silence as he left the table was a sign that he meant business. Well, the girl was part of DA, he was sure she could handle Blaise.

As Draco watched, Blaise turned on the charm and a moment later the girl was patting the bench next to her, obviously giving her full attention to the tall and muscular boy. Blaise was as dark as Draco was fair, and most of the girls in the school swooned when they were walking about or on the Quidditch pitch. They were in their prime of youth and gorgeous in the two extremes.

Both boys were well over six feet tall now, and broad shouldered. They were both well toned but Blaise was the more muscular of the two. Draco was a little more refined in his features and build. Blaise was all strength and warmth and Draco was the epitome of grace and sharpness. The blond was handsome and charming and Blaise was a rogue snake charmer. If either one of them decided to turn on their charm then all were helpless to resist; except a certain redhead that was now entering through the doors into the Great Hall.

Draco looked to see that Blaise was talking animatedly to Luna and she was smiling and nodding her head. He sighed knowing that somehow Blaise had found a good match and that he would soon have to endure the presence of the spacey girl next to his mate.

Glancing at Ginny he saw that she was watching the couple as well, and a grin spread across her face. He sighed for the second time and pushed his plate away in resignation. He lost his appetite as soon as he realised that he had fallen for this mysterious witch and he was as done for as his best mate was with the loony girl.

Draco felt the need to purge himself of these Puffle problems and decided to head towards the pitch with his broom in hopes that some fast flying could free him from this horrid warmth he felt whenever he saw the little witch. He didn't know what this feeling was and it was rather sick making.

Blaise was always the one who actually _liked_ girls; Draco was the diffident enjoyer of the occasional partner. Where was this desire for her nearness coming from these days? He couldn't understand it. He had never believed that opposites attract. In fact, he had never believed in relationships period. Why bother when your family was just going to marry you off to some breeder when you both came of the proper age anyway?

Looking at the Ravenclaw table once again Draco shook his head softly at the sight of his best mate and his loony girlfriend. Slowly pushing away from the table he made his way out the double doors of the Great Hall not noticing a pair of warm, golden eyes observing his exit.

Ginny watched as Draco left the Great Hall. She could feel his confusion from across the room and knew she was getting closer to her goal. Looking over at Blaise and Luna merrily chatting away she knew her first experiment had worked and had no doubts that her spell she was weaving on Draco would come to its culmination soon. Her feeling of trepidation all morning showed that things were getting intense and the cauldron would soon be boiling over.

X

The half moon gave little light for Ginny tonight, and clouds would occasionally obscure it when they gracefully flowed across it. She only had to light her wand a few times when the brush became thick with overgrowth as she made her way to her special clearing. She had found the perfect clearing not too far inside the forest and she had so far avoided any problem with the centaurs due to this fact. It was surrounded on three sides by thick brush and was open to a spring on the side that was farthest from the castle, so there was no chance of being seen from there. She usually had a fire lit and a large cauldron cooking over it, but felt safe in her hidden alcove.

She was a little tired tonight from the constant feeling of being watched and her day spent gathering supplies in the woods and around the lake. She was looking forward to finishing tonight's ritual and going straight to bed. Ginny stopped and looked over her shoulder for the umpteenth time that night, unnerved by the feeling someone was watching. Shrugging the feeling off at finding nothing there, she went back to her bubbling concoction.

Taking out the large vial of rich, red blood from her cloak she carefully uncorked it and poured it in drop by drop until she reached the number twenty seven. She cautiously covered the vial again and placed it deep within her cloak. She had worked hard to get the blood sample and didn't want to take a chance at losing a drop of it.

She recalled how difficult it had been to trap Draco in an abandoned classroom to draw the blood then modify his memory so that he wouldn't remember. The tricky part was to make sure that he was sufficiently recovered before swiping his memory so that he wouldn't have any reason to be suspicious when he recovered. She giggled a little at the memory of feeding him milk and cookies as he growled at her while being tied up in a chair. She felt a warm rush at the thought of how close she had come to snogging his brains out while he was trapped, but had kept herself in check as that would affect her current spell work on him.

Ginny had been up late for many nights during the summer trying to come up with a plan to ensnare the sexy Slytherin Seeker. She had dropped her infatuation for Harry in her fourth year and traded it in for a slow burn of attraction for Draco at the end of that year. Last year she had observed his habits and gathered as much information on him as she could without drawing any attention.

If Ginny had learned anything from her infatuation with Harry it was that she shouldn't be too desperate and obvious. If she threw herself at Draco or sent him valentines he would never give her a second thought. That was what all the other girls did. She had to show him that she was different and worthy of his attention. She had to make him want her more than she wanted him, and that was a lot.

She had experimented on Ron and Hermione and now Blaise and Luna and she knew she had the right combination of spells, potions and charms to make this work. Her brew would be ready within a week and the full moon would come in a fortnight.

That would be the most powerful time and it gave her enough time to figure out how she would arrange it so that she could do the ritual on Draco and not worry for interruption or distraction. She would most likely have to do it here in the clearing, but it would work best if he came willingly and felt no resistance or negativity towards her when she performed it upon him.

Glancing at her watch she saw that she had another five minutes of stirring before she placed the brew in suspension. Trying to look into the trees without appearing to do so, she tried to see where her stalker lay. She could feel the eyes watching her the whole time tonight and hoped it was not the centaurs or the giant spiders that lived in the forest. She doubted that though, because either of those would have struck out at her by now.

Quickly cleaning up and casting a Disillusioning charm on her lab, she headed back towards the castle keeping her hand on her wand the whole time.

X

Draco followed her for another week after that night and she always did the same thing. She went to her cauldron and brewed for an hour. A few nights she added blood like she had the first night but most nights it seemed to be roots, herbs and plants. Then after a week she stopped.

He went two nights after that and the Disillusioned cauldron was there in suspension, but she wasn't. He would go back to the castle but he didn't catch her in the hallways or any place else; she seemed to be staying in her dorms like a law abiding Gryffindor should. Yeah right. They were all bigger rule breakers than the Slytherin any day. Snorting at the thought of the Golden Trio getting caught and actually receiving punishment for their misdeeds, the blond headed off to bed wondering what the feisty redhead was doing right now since she wasn't in the forest.

X

A few days later Draco found Ginny in the library surrounded by a pile of books from the Muggle section of the library. She appeared to be taking notes and every so often would close her eyes and chant something under her breath. He couldn't get close enough to hear what she was saying and had no time to spy on her closely as she was sitting right next to the Muggle section, and when she would go to find another book she would come back too quickly for him to get a glimpse at what exactly she was writing down.

The girl's actions were unfathomable and he was going mad from wanting to know what it was all about. He felt like a pressure cooker that was about to blow. He had followed her as closely as possible in the halls this last week since he wasn't able to see her at night, and he couldn't get her out of his head.

He was having dreams of a romantic nature and that disturbed him. He had never had romantic feelings for any girl and here he was dreaming of whisking her away to a secluded tropical island, or taking a vacation with her in his lovely house in Italy. He would invariably wake up sweating after proclaiming his true love to his fiery goddess in the dreams. And in those dreams she was the best kisser he had ever experienced and the passion between them was explosive. He felt a little fear at the thought of feeling that attracted to someone whom he barely even knew.

Feeling uncomfortable in the very public library after contemplating those dreams, Draco began to pack his books in preparation to leave. As he looked over to Ginny he saw she was doing the same, and she made eye contact with him. Her intense gaze caused his heart to beat a little faster and as she turned to leave, she winked at him.

Nonplussed, Draco sat silently for a few more minutes before heading for his dorms. He knew he was really in trouble now. She was acknowledging his staring at her and she flirted with him when she caught him. His heart in his throat, Draco finally admitted to himself that he liked this girl and it appeared that she liked him at least a little bit as well.

Flinging himself onto his spacious bed he wondered what he should do next to find out what she was feeling. He drifted off to sleep with visions of children with hair in varying shades of red and blond being taken to Kings Cross by him and Ginny.

X

Ginny left the library glad that tomorrow night would be the full moon; she didn't know how much longer she could take seeing him everywhere she went and not running into his strong arms and kissing him breathless. She laughed to herself at the image of Draco as she winked at him tonight. Had anyone hit him with a stone she was sure the statue that was formerly Draco Malfoy would have shattered.

Entering the common room she saw Ron and Hermione sharing the couch and wished them a good night as she headed up to her room. After washing and preparing for bed she took out the parchment she had written earlier tonight and read it aloud. Her roommates were still downstairs and she took advantage of this by practicing the words of the spell she had written specifically for tomorrow night's ritual. After a few readings she placed the parchment under her pillow and recited it by heart before falling into a deep sleep with dreams of pink haired babies running all over Malfoy Manor.

X

The next day Ginny avoided any interaction with Draco at all costs. She knew that the entire spell could be compromised if she spoke to him or got too close. And Draco had, oddly enough, been following her almost constantly these last two weeks. She felt in her bones he had been spying on her in the forest at night and wondered why he hadn't said anything to get her in trouble. She realized he had been watching her a lot in the Great Hall and making it a point to touch her in some way or another if they passed in the halls.

She finished her lunch in the kitchens and scurried off to Potions class at the last minute to make sure the halls were mostly empty. She listened to Professor Snape as he spoke of the danger of love potions and was glad that she didn't have to resort to that. She carefully avoided any recognition of the fact that what she was doing was only a more complicated form of a love potion. Her justification was that her spell only enhanced what was there no matter how latent those emotions might be.

Sufficiently happy with her self-delusion she tuned back in just in time to hear Snape warn of the after effects of dark love potions and how to counter the potion if one ever received it. The Gryffindor found herself belatedly wondering if she should have made an antidote for her spell. Shrugging her shoulders, she followed the crowd to Charms carefully watching for the platinum piece of perfection the whole way.

Professor Flitwick lectured on the intricate nature of glamour charms that were meant to mask the appearance of emotions. He warned that an improperly used glamour could cause a negative reaction and the opposite effect may happen. If the circumstances were not right and the castee was unable to hold the glamour then the glamour may be viewed adversely.

Ginny scowled and thought that all her professors seemed to want to discredit the spell that she was set to use tonight. First Snape warned of the dangers of dark love potions and now Flitwick was going on about how an emotional glamour could backfire. She stubbornly refused to back down and became more determined to cast the spell. She wanted Draco and this spell would ensure that he fell in love with her completely and without fail.

**X**

Draco was ready to admit himself to the St Mungo's Asylum for a Pleasant Mental State. A sneer marred his beautiful face as he recalled how they had tried to reform Lucius' 'mental incapacity' a few years ago when he had been arrested after the whole Ministry escapade.

The Ministry had actually closed the ward down for a six-month hiatus while all the staff took an extended holiday to recover from trying to reverse his 'negative reactions' to the world around him.

Narcissa donated lavishly to the hospital and the ward was redecorated in an upscale fashion that was modern and pleasing to all who might need to visit the ward for an extended period of time. Draco had told her at the time that no matter how many sets of silk sheets she might buy for the ward they were still going to be put onto beds for the criminally insane.

His mother had not appreciated his sentiment and stopped sending him sweets for an entire month. That had been an excruciating period for him. Crabbe and Goyle had been the worse for it. They had almost begun to question why they were friends with Draco before the sweets came by owl again and the world began to spin smoothly on its axis once more.

Draco learned a valuable lesson that day- never question the need for wasting money on useless things when one was compensating for true uselessness in life. His mother had that art down and could be a Galleonaire if she ever decided to market those skills of denial.

Sighing inwardly at his melancholic thoughts he looked about the Great Hall in search of his fiery vixen. He had not seen her once that day and this was the third meal she had been absent from. An odd part of him was worried that perhaps she was not well. He decided he would go by the infirmary after dinner was over to make sure she wasn't there. He had just begun to ponder at how his food has less taste when she was not around, when his solitude was disturbed by fate in the form of Blaise Zabini.

"Hey mate. Mooning for the hot Gryff fire sprite again?" His incandescent grin spread across his handsome face and two girls swooned after watching him for too long. "When are you just going to ask her out? I'm sure she's forgotten all those times you insulted her and her family by now. I've never seen you like this for a chit before; one might think you've gone Puffle on us if one didn't know any better."

"If that isn't the cauldron calling the kettle black, Zabini. Your little love affair with Luna is sick-making on its best days. Always going on and on about how fantastic she is, how lovely and wonderful and imaginative and… blech."

"That was truly eloquently put Draco. Did you learn that expression in Little Wizards Charm School?"

Blaise was laughing merrily at Draco's sour mood and the blond was in no mood to tolerate any happy attitude when his feisty goddess was missing from his day. Gods, he really had taken a turn for the Puffle. His shoulders dropped in shame and he considered hiding in his room for the rest of the night since his day had already been ruined by her absence.

"Cheer up mate. Luna says she definitely fancies you." He clapped Draco on the back and in his weakened state he almost fell into his plate full of cold mashed potatoes and roast beastie. "She says you just need to make the first move. The girl likes a gentleman and a bit of a challenge so don't go all Casarolla, or whoever that Muggle lover boy was. Show her what a man you are and sweep her off her broom."

His state was so down that Blaise's words of sagely advice fell on deaf ears. "Yeah, thanks mate. I'll get right on that."

Blaise rose from the table and thumped Draco on his back again. "Don't wait too long, mate. A desperate witch can be a dangerous thing." Blaise smiled across the Hall at Luna, and two Ravenclaws and three Hufflepuffs fainted in the intensity of the charm that was being blasted through the Hall by the sinfully dark and lovely wizard with no discrimination on his part whatsoever. Luna smiled dreamily at him and waved him over to eat with her.

"Yeah, wouldn't want anyone to act desperate here." Draco mumbled to no one, seeing as the Head Boy was already seated next to the blonde girl by the time he acknowledged Blaise had been speaking to him. Sighing again he left the Great Hall to begin his epic 'Search for the Lost Ginevra' campaign. It promised to be a long night for the sad and lonely little silver-haired dragon boy.

X

As midnight neared Ginny became more and more apprehensive. The fates had sent so many signals to her today to not perform the ritual, but her stubborn nature was still ruling the Kingdom of Ginny. She gathered up her warmest cloak and gloves and prepared herself mentally for the task. She needed to be in an extremely positive state of mind for this to work and right now that was not happening. She was nervous and was feeling rather depressed at not seeing Draco at all today. She contemplated on how she had gotten used to his being around in all the subtle little ways.

She missed the glowing platinum locks blinding her from across the Great Hall at meals. She missed the snarky and sometimes even witty comments he made towards her and the Trio. But she found that most of all she missed the electricity that surged between them when he made it a point to brush against her in the hallways and smirk at her. Oh, that deadly, sexy smirk. More than once she had almost ended the charade and pounced on his lips when he sent the patented Malfoy smirk in her direction. She only now realised that he didn't share that particular smirk with other girls. Ginny shook her head and tried to clear those thoughts from her mind as she entered into the clearing.

The center of the clearing was lit brightly with the full moon and she could see everything clearly as she revealed her cauldron and brought it out of stasis. Still feeling the effects of her doubts and depression over missing Draco today, she decided to sit and go within for a bit so that she would be in the proper state to do her task.

Crossing her legs and sitting against a nearby Rowan tree, she searched for the magical center within. When she touched upon it she found that something else was there along side it, a different magic she had not seen before. She reached out to it to try and see what it was. It was warm and felt comfortable. It wanted to be touched and was wrapping her in its feeling of security like a blanket. Ginny opened herself fully to the magic and found her soul was sighing with satisfaction and completion.

She felt as if the loving energy was calling her name. But she was already embracing it, why would it be calling for her?

"Ginevra?"

There it was again; the dulcet tones of her dearest heart.

"Ginevra, wake up love."

Wait, that voice was not coming from within, it was next to her physical form which was not fully connected to her inner right now.

_Oh please, don't touch me, who ever you are._

Ginny struggled to reconnect her inner and outer before this person touched her and brought her out too quickly.

"Oh Merlin. She's dead and I never got to tell her anything. That blighter Blaise was right; I should have just asked her out."

Ginny struggled with the new magic as it didn't want to let her go. It was staying wrapped around her even as the angelic voice next to her was bringing her out of her trance. She became worried as she didn't yet understand the true nature of this new magic and wasn't sure what might happen if it stayed with her as she awakened herself. But she knew that this person talking to her would touch her soon, she could hear the concern and confusion in their voice. And that voice sounded so familiar to her.

"Ginny, love, please wake up. I have to tell you everything. I have to explain how you have trapped me and bound me in your deceptive cloak of innocence. But you are far from innocent. You have put me under some wicked spell and I can't get out."

Ginny was fully conscious now and the cloud of warmth and comfort from her new magic kept her quiet as he unknowingly confessed to her.

"You're just so vexing to me, love. You never act like I want you to and you seem to strive to outwit me at every step." Draco lifted her head to his lap and softly stroked her hair.

"You drive me mad with your defiant attitude and your obvious disdain for my authority. You insist on ignoring me when you should be worshiping me. You fight my every word when I wish that you would just submit to me once and experience the bliss of my control." Draco traced his long and graceful finger across her cheeks as he continued to speak.

"Why can't you allow yourself to come under my power? I long to trap you in my gilded cage and keep you by my side for eternity; will you ever allow that?"

His strong and slightly calloused finger caressed her jaw and sent shivers down her spine. The magic shroud that she found tonight was slowly seeping into her system and she felt it as it melted into her chest. Her heart seemed to welcome it in and Ginny felt it meld completely with her. She was very aware of the new magical feeling and it seemed to be resonating with the feelings Draco was now bringing her.

She found herself wanting to surrender to him, she wanted to be caged within his arms never to be let go. She wanted to be possessed by him and to devour his soul in return. As his fingers mapped out the outlines of her face she felt the surge if her new magic rush through her veins. She was afraid of losing herself but she had never been more ready to do so in her life. She wanted to be tied in his golden ropes by his side.

"Love, please wake up. I need you to open your eyes and trap me in your amber gaze once more. I need to see my reflection in your eyes as that is the only pleasure I receive anymore. I need to hear you shout at me, to feel your fire as you try to hex me to bits; I need to feel your sweet lips under mine as I ravish you."

With these last words Draco leaned down to kiss her and as he closed his eyes she opened hers and watched as his face relaxed into bliss and his eyelashes fluttered against his porcelain cheeks. She let him kiss her for a few moments and then slowly began to return the kiss. She gently closed her eyes and sighed into his lips. They were soft and warm and full of promise of things to come. Draco ran his hand trough her hair as he ended the kiss and kept her head cradled in his palm.

They both looked silently at each other and acknowledged what had just passed between them. There would be no need to ever speak of it again and the memory of their first kiss would stay eternally youthful in their hearts.

Draco spoke first pushing the silence away. "What have you done Ginny? Did you take your concoction tonight? Do you need any help?"

At his concerned words Ginny felt her new magic explode across her chest. "It's okay Draco. I don't think I need it anymore." Her grin was brighter than the moon and he was awed by its brilliance. "I'm starving; do you think there's any of that dinner left? I love creamed turkey over fluffy mashed potatoes."

Draco was speechless at her nonchalant behaviour. He supposed this was one of the reasons he had fallen for the temperamental little witch; she was unpredictable. He would never be bored and she would never let him get away with too much.

Reaching up she brushed his moonlit hair out of his silvery pools and cupped his cheek for a moment in her palm. He turned and kissed her palm and pulled her knuckles to his lips as well.

"Let's go love; I'm feeling a bit peckish myself."

Ginny sat up as he rose gracefully to his feet and he held out his hand to her. As he pulled her up off the ground and into his waiting arms she felt the new magic surge through her again. She realised this new magic within her was love, the strongest magic of all.

As they walked silently back to the castle hand in hand, Ginny grinned at the thought that it had taken just one arrogant, vain and impossibly sexy wizard to help her gain the only power she would ever need. Maybe she could give her brew to Harry, Merlin knew he could use some help in the relationship field.

"So," Draco drawled slowly, "Does this mean that I finally get what I want?"

Ginny had almost forgotten the heated conversation that had started this whole experience.

"Well that depends, do I get what I need?"

"A Malfoy is true to his word. You shall have whatever you desire, but first my wish."

"Agreed. What is it you want Draco?"

Draco thought it over, he already had the girl of his dreams in his hands, what else could he want?

"I want to know what you've been doing in the forest for all these weeks."

Ginny cringed inwardly; she wasn't sure how he might take what she had been doing in the middle of the night for the last two months. How would he react if he knew that she had been plotting to capture him for over a year? Gathering her courage, knowing that she never wanted to lie to him, she took a deep breath before explaining.

"I was brewing a potion that along with spells and charms would ensure that any positive feelings you felt towards me would be amplified and become permanent. I took blood from you and used that as a base for the physical connection that was necessary to make it work." Ginny took another breath as he stayed quiet and didn't seem like he was going to hex her or anything. "I was planning on doing the ritual tonight and you would have been helpless against your overwhelming love for me; if that feeling was indeed anywhere within you."

Draco was speechless.

He should be feeling violated, he should be worried that this little witch was obsessed with him; he should be running away as fast as he can. But instead he felt relief that his feelings were returned, that she was just as possessive of his love as he was of hers. Had he not just a few minutes ago wanted to lock her in a golden cage to keep by his side forever? Though they were opposites in position and stature, they were totally compatible in their need for each other. He figured it was best not to let her know how deeply he was trapped by her already, though. These witches really could be a lot of trouble if you let them have the upper hand all of the time.

Ginny looked at him from the corner of her eye not sure how he was taking the news. He didn't look upset but he didn't look happy either.

"So what is it that I can provide you with as my side of the bargain Ginevra?"

Ginny stopped and turned to face him fully.

That was it? No hexing? No shouting? No running for the local authorities to report a madwoman on the loose? Could it be that this impossibly discerning man had accepted her as she was, in her full madness?

"I need to know that you are sincere in your affection towards me. If this is some momentary fling for you then I will walk away now. I need to know that you will be as dedicated to making this impossible relationship work as I will."

Draco closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands. He leaned in and gave her a beautiful kiss, a kiss that was fierce, demanding and brutally honest all at the same time. He poured his heart into the kiss and his heart was beating in time with hers; the eternal time. As he released her lips he wrapped his arms around her and breathed into her ear, "Who says it's impossible?"

* * *

A/N 2:

**WishfulWhispers (Emma's) Prompt **

**Basic outline: **Draco discovers that Ginny spends one hour a night in the Forbidden Forest. Determined to discover what it is that she does exactly, Draco stumbles across something that shocks him to his very core.

**Must haves**: Hogwarts Era, Angst, D/G romance,

**No-no's: **Character death (though you can come as close as you like), No special powers - elemental, vampirific or otherwise!, Hero!Draco, Victim!Ginny!, H/G, Must not be compliant in ANY way with the Epilogue of Doom!

**Bonus points: **If its Dark... otherwise, do with it what you will!


End file.
